Explorers have beaten the D-11 4A champion each of last 3 years.

Since the PIAA admitted the Philadelphia Catholic League starting with the 2008 season, La Salle College High School has developed into a Class 4A football power.

The Explorers have spent the last three seasons serving as Kryptonite for the state-title hopes of District 11's champion.

Parkland (11-2) will try to do Saturday what Easton (2009 and 2010) and Nazareth (2011) could not do in recent years — beat La Salle and move into the Eastern final. The Trojans will find themselves pitted against another tough Explorers team when they meet in a PIAA Class 4A quarterfinal at Northeast High School in Philadelphia.

La Salle (11-1) enters the matchup ranked No. 2 among the state's Class 4A teams by the Harrisburg Patriot-News. Saint Joseph's Prep is the only team to beat the Explorers, a 24-16 setback in which La Salle turned the ball over six times.

"It was a really good eye-opener for them," La Salle coach Drew Gordon said earlier this week. "It showed them the intensity we had to play with. We had six walk-through games prior to that where we really didn't get challenged.

"That's what I was concerned about all year, because I knew this isn't going to happen at the end of the season and into the playoffs. When you look back to that game, maybe that's the best thing that could have happened to us."

La Salle has reeled off five straight wins since that loss, including a 28-27 overtime win over Prep that gave it its fifth straight Catholic League 4A title. The Explorers twice beat Roman Catholic during their winning streak and also defeated West Catholic.

Defense is again the hallmark for La Salle. It has allowed 20 or fewer points in 10 of 12 games.

Keeping Parkland off its typical pace is Gordon's primary concern. The Trojans are averaging nearly 45 points per game over their last nine contests and have been scoring on offense, defense and special teams during an 11-game winning streak.

"Their speed is tremendous," Gordon said. "I don't know if we can cover them. They have 3-4 guys that can really run. They catch the ball, their quarterback's pretty good, and their receivers are pretty good. They make big plays. They can score from 80 yards away and from 5 yards away."

Parkland shelved its passing game last week in windy conditions at Delaware Valley, but its offense continued to hum. The Trojans ran for 402 yards in their 49-41 win over the Warriors, the fourth time this season they have run for at least 400 yards in a game. Eli Redmond needs 37 yards to join running back Jarel Elder and quarterback Tim Baranek as 1,000-yard rushers.

Redmond and Elder will be just as important in Parkland's defensive secondary as they are on offense. Senior Chris Kane spent time as a fullback and tight end last season, but he has become an accurate marksman as the Explorers' quarterback this season. He has completed 61.8 percent of his passes while throwing for 2,092 yards and 26 touchdowns.

La Salle does a lot of damage on quick throws to Sean Coleman and Jimmy Herron, who have combined for 90 catches and 19 touchdown receptions.

"They're a good, solid, well-coached football team, there's no question about it," Parkland coach Jim Morgans said. "They have talent to go along with it, and that's a heck of a combination."

Parkland has played plenty of quality football teams this season, from its top competitors in the Lehigh Valley Conference to two contests with Delaware Valley and its Division I quarterback, Bryan Schor. La Salle may be the best team Parkland has seen, but the Trojans have gained a quiet confidence as they have accumulated wins.

"I told our kids, we don't have to take a backseat to anybody," Morgans said. "We're one of the eight teams left that are playing 4A football in Pennsylvania, and we belong there.

"This will also be a challenge, because they're a real good football team. With the kids we have, we'll be OK. We'll be competitive."